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Who was Samuel Chapman? OWN host Dr Laura Berman’s son, 16, dies of drug overdose after buying it on Snapchat

'A drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and gave him fentanyl laced Xanax and he overdosed in his room. They do this because it hooks people even more and is good for business,' she said

Dr Laura Berman, who hosts OWN‘s 'In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman', shared a heartfelt message along with tragic news on Instagram. The 52-year-old stated that her son Samuel ‘Sammy’ Chapman, 16, died of a drug overdose. She made the shocking announcement on Monday, February 8, to her 28.5K Instagram followers, saying that her son bought the drugs through Snapchat, a popular social media app.

In an Instagram post, she wrote: "My beautiful boy is gone. 16 years old. Sheltering at home. A drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and gave him fentanyl laced Xanax and he overdosed in his room. They do this because it hooks people even more and is good for business but It causes overdose and the kids don’t know what they are taking. My heart is completely shattered and I am not sure how to keep breathing. I post this now only so that not one more kid dies. We watched him so closely. Straight A student. Getting ready for college. Experimentation gone bad. He got the drugs delivered to the house. Please watch your kids and WATCH SNAPCHAT especially. That’s how they get them."

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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Fentanyl is a “powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times stronger.” Fentanyl is typically prescribed to patients post-surgery, who suffer from chronic pain, or those whose bodies don’t respond to a lesser form of prescription pain meds. As per Medlineplus.gov, "Fentanyl may cause serious harm or death if used accidentally by a child or by an adult who has not been prescribed the medication. Even partially used fentanyl may contain enough medication to cause serious harm or death to children or other adults."

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency's website states that fentanyl is sometimes “added to heroin to increase its potency", and that “many users believe that they are purchasing heroin when it’s actually fentanyl,” which is one of the leading causes of overdose deaths.

Berman, who earned two Masters and a PhD degree from New York University, is originally from Glynn County, Georgia, according to her official website bio. She rose to fame when she made several appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Berman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as 'Quantum Love', 'Real Sex for Real Women' and 'The Passion Perscription'. She is married to Samuel Berman and has three children (including Sammy) and two dogs. She made a separate statement to E! News and said her teenager was "a beautiful soul who left us way too soon".

NBC host Kate Snow shared on Twitter, "Dr. Laura Berman and her husband Sam spoke with me one day after losing their 16-year-old son to an overdose. They say a drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat. They want other families and young people to pay attention to this. #Brave." While one Internet user wrote: "This is horrifying. My worst nightmare. My son has been battling addiction 12 years. I talk to him about buying off the street all the time. So sad."

Sharing the news one person retweeted saying, "February 23, 2013 my cousin died from a heroin overdose. It's still very much a trigger for me. He missed my wedding that year and my daughter's due date would've been his 30th birthday. Heroin is evil!" While another one said, "Same poison my son is on, he overdosed last week, but he just won't stop! Open SmartNews and read "OWN TV and Radio Host Dr. Laura Berman’s Son Dead at 16 From Apparent Overdose"."